


The Dolphin Tattoo

by moonlightkisses



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Also They (JJ!) Cuss Like A Trucker, Are They High the Whole Time?, Boobs Are Mentioned Too Much, But Too Stupid To Know, Childhood Memories, F/M, Fluff and Crack, I Have No Idea How Getting A Tattoo Works, I suck ass at doing tags, Idiots in Love, Its Ficition Right?, JJ Maybank is a Pothead and Kiara loves it, John B Just Needs Sleep, Kiara Is An Artist, Lots of Weed NGL, Maybe - Freeform, Pope Is A SMOL, Pope Is The Only Sane One, Stupid dares, but fuck it, minor John B, minor Pope - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24297268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlightkisses/pseuds/moonlightkisses
Summary: The stars hung heavy in the sky, shinning proudly down on a pair of intoxicated teens. JJ and Kiara laid on the softly swinging hammock, passing a dying joint, while Pope and John B sat near. And soon their glazed eyes and clumsy tongues would get them into trouble. The late night would grow on with impulsive decisions made left and right. It would start as just another night and slowly grow to be a fondly kept memory.ORThe night Kiara got her dolphin tattoo.
Relationships: JJ & Kiara & Pope & John B. Routledge, JJ & Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 187





	1. constellations

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is a shitshow I know I'm sorry! I'm only posting this for my favorite people, my tumblr group, JJ/Kiara Stans. Good luck and please stick with me I swear the ending is all cute and fluffy. I have all three parts written as well and I will be periodically posting throughout the week. ALSO this is just the prologue, I know its not much but my other chapters are longer. 
> 
> Thank you!!! Youe kudos and comments always keep me going :)
> 
> xoxo,  
> char

The moon hung lazy, only a small crescent, with the beaming stars in the sky. Few clouds covered their light, the night alive and yet calm. “And that’s the little dipper right there.” 

“There?” His arm stretched high, pointing at a cluster of stars. 

“No,” the warmth of her touch radiated through him as her hand circled his wrist before guiding the point of his finger to lay on the stars aligned to mimic a small spoon, “there.” 

JJ’s shoulder brushed Kiara’s as they laid across the slowly swaying hammock, both gazing past the tree branches to count the stars. Her chipped blue nail polish flashed before his vision, momentary blocking the view, as her fingers grasped the joint secured between his lips. She took the rolled paper, lighty flicking it with her forefinger, before taking a long drag. For a second her features were illuminated as she inhaled, the end of the joint igniting at the action. The clutter of fleckles along the bridge of her nose could only be seen when she was like this, bare of makeup. Her cheeks naturally blushed a soft pink and her lashes curled up easily, nearly brushing the arch above her eyes. He liked her better like this. 

“Sarah loves that constellation.” John B looked up, following their gaze. He nursed a beer to their left, Pope beside him as they sat in a pair of lawn chairs. The seats were torn, splitting more each time they were used, and the colors faded from the fabric dozens of storms prior to that night. 

“Yeah, she’s the one who showed me it.” Kiara’s voice was low, rough as her lungs expanded with smoke. Her eyebrow raised as she gestured for JJ to take the joint. He did as she turned to him, her right hand reaching in her back pocket for her pen. When she finally found it, her fingertips grazed the inside of his forearm before she began doodling, the purple ink dancing along his olive skin. 

He watched her. The drug clouded his brain and sent ripples of warmth through his body like waves blanketing the sand. He hummed softly, the touch nearly tickling him, as his eyes drifted to the dock. “Kie?” He’s disappointed when her drawing stops, her fingers subconsciously dancing patterns on his skin, as her stare raised to his features. He felt her eyes on him before they followed his gaze. JJ watched their boat, with it’s chipping paint and fading words, rock softly in the water. His thoughts were slowed, his judgement altered by the weed in his system, “I dare you to race me to the end of the dock and-” he slammed his lips, his mouth as dry as cotton, “-and-uh do a backflip into the water and whoever loses has to...” his voice faded when the right punishment never came to mind. 

Kiara looked back to her doodles, finishing the petals of the flowers. She laughed softly, the feeling erupting through her nerves, “-to get a tattoo,” she finishes with a giggle. 

Pieces of his blonde hair fell, tickling the curve of his eyebrow, as JJ’s head turned to her. Under the bleak light of the moon, he searched her features. Despite her glassy eyes, she looked sober, serious, about her decision. A smirk pulled at his lips, “and whoever wins chooses the loser’s tat,” he adds. She’s hesitant to this but she nodded nonetheless, her brown curls lightly brushing his shoulder at the action. “Aye-” JJ moved his free arm behind his back to push himself into an upright position, consequently disrupting Kiara’s artwork. 

“Hey!” She automatically lifted herself up, her head spinning at the act, as she followed the movement of his arm. Her eyebrows scrunched together, her lips slightly frowning at the purple line drawn through her flowers. She heard him breathe a soft apology, his own mouth creasing downward. But then, like a shooting star through a night sky, an idea glistened through the chocolate trapped in her iries. The pen moved once again along the lines of his skin, the ink coloring purple leafs to transform the once dull line into a vine. His cheeks raised, the tips of his lips lifting. “What were you saying?” the crinkle between her eyebrows formed as she focused. 

“Oh yeah,” JJ’s body swayed as he turned to his friends in the chairs, his arm still stationary along the bed of her knees. “You guys wanna join in on the dare?”

“Are you serious?” Pope’s eyebrows almost reached his hairline. “If the equipment used to create your tattoo is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract various bloodborne diseases including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.” Silence fell upon them, the crickets singing from the bushes, as the gears in their altered minds creaked. Pope’s big words could not be fully comprehended through his friends' intoxicated minds. 

“Yeah what Pope said, it sounds stupid.” John B raised his glass, tipping the brown liquid into his mouth. 

Kiara hummed in agreement as she looked up to JJ. The light from the moon bounced off of the water and perfectly hit his cut features. The blue in his eyes matched the color of the batch of periwinkle slowly growing on her window sill. They were often red underneath, whether from countless sleepless nights he spent staring at his cieling or the constant joint in his hands that dilated his blood vessels, she didn’t know. A handful of small, faint scars littered his face; one forming on the peak of his cheek where a gash opened a week prior and a fading bruise still sat. His lips were pursed, jaw tight, as her stare lingered. “This probably isn’t gonna end well, is it?” she asked delicately, her voice fighting against the sounds of the night. 

“Probably not,” he answered, the crook of his eyebrow raising. A pause fell between the two, invitiving either to back out, as they both watched as Kiara finished her piece. A confusion of flowers littered his skin and a vine struck straight through it, linking all the purple ink. She signed her name along the curve of the plants and at that a pure smile spread and pulled at his cheeks. “Wanna do it anyway?” JJ spoke so only she could hear, his voice gentle as he leaned closer to gain a better view of her work. 

Kiara lifted her chin, the brown curls framing her face falling behind her ears at the movement. “Fuck yeah.” A grin, easy and genuine, shone up at him, exposing her bright white teeth.

“One the count of three?” he asked. 

The ocean in his eyes flooded her chocolate valley. “Okay,” she blinked lazyly, her eyelashes fluttering. “Pope!” She called, pulling back from JJ. 

“I really don’t condone this.” His back straightened in the chair giving him a better view of his friends as they stood from the hammock, stuffing out the dead joint with their heels. Kiara leaned forward and touched her toes. As she stretched, her head turned to her competitor beside her. JJ released exaggerated huffs, buffing up his chest as he pulled his bent leg into his stomach. A doped giggle came from Kiara. It’s journey was visible as it bubbled through her throat. “Seriously, do you guys understand how horrible this plan is?” 

“One,” John B began, his voice echoing in the now empty bottle pressed against his spreading lips. Kiara stood, her heels digging into the dirt. “Two,” he continued. JJ’s jaw clenched, his drugged stare fixed on the dock. “And you guys have to jump in your underwear,” John B added quickly as a glint of mischief colored his brown eyes for he knew how cold the ocean was at this time of season. Kiara was ready to protest, JJ already blindly agreeing, when he roared the final second. John B howled to night, pounding his fists and clincking his glass. Pope soon joined, his head shaky as he did. 

Their feet were hot on the ground, barely leaving marks in the dirt, as they ran. The noise made by their friends blended to create the soundtrack of that single moment. A moment in time defined by their laughs ricocheting through the Chateau. “Shit, JJ,” the blonde gained speed on the girl. His tongue swept along his smirk. He is the fastest runner in his class dating back to second grade. He is a survivor of an abusive alcoholic father, speed was just another sense heightened by that lifestyle. 

“How’s a pair of boobs for your tat, Kie?” JJ hollered. His fingers hooked the back of his sneakers, pulling them from his feet as he began to strip. Despite the fact that Kiara had arrived at the end of the dock when JJ was reaching for the buttons on his shorts, she had the advantage of wearing sandals and at this point either could win. 

“How’s the Christian symbol of virginity for yours?” Her banter was nearly drowned by her own laugh. Kiara’s shorts pooled at her ankles, exposing her pink hued underwear. JJ gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing harshly in his throat. He knew he couldn’t look or the bet would be lost and his intense urge was overcome by his fragile pride. 

This had been his only advanage, his resistance that is, for when looked back upon, Kiara had been the one to fall prey to her curiosity. They had both been stripped, standing consumed in goosebumps as the ugly wind lashed into them. JJ’s stare was solely on the water before he turned, his gaze deliberately never drifting to her exposed dark skin. Their heels were aligned along the edge of the dock. Both were bending their knees and swinging their arms back when her eyes caught the flex of his bare abs. That second was fleeting but it was there and it was because of it’s ripple effect that JJ’s body was first to land in the water. 

When they had resurfaced, their hair clung heavy to their skin. Water was still upon them, small droplets hanging onto their lashes and falling from their cheeks. Kiara gasped, her big eyes searching for the answer of who won as if it laid in the dark of the night. “Let’s go, baby!” JJ’s voice traveled along the water and echoed through the Chateau. His fist pounded the air causing a splash to spray Kiara who swam to the right of him. 

“You did not win. Shut up,” her eyebrows scrunched together, her lips pulling tight. His smile was doped, the water doing nothing to sober either up and because of her high mind, Kiara was even more demanding of the answer. She managed to grip his shoulders before she threw all her strength down upon him and pushed him deep under the surface again. The tips of her lips lifted, her features relaxing as a bubble of laughter caught in her throat, before she swam to the ladder. 

John B and Pope had now stood on the dock, the former lethargic as he laid his head against a pillar. Kiara’s gaze was immediate on them when she rose from the water. “So?” She beckoned. Despite his shutting eyes, John B chuckled and his shoulders swayed at the act. JJ had been quick to follow Kiara, his hand grasped the ladder the same second her foot left it. 

“I won, didn’t I?” JJ was smug as his arms raised in question, the underneath of his forearm was exposed and his olive skin still stained purple. Pope only looked to him, Kiara following his every move, before almost resistantly nodding his head. JJ hollered at his victory, the veins in his neck pronounced as he yelped to the void, his fists pounding the air. “How ya like boobs, Kie?” His smirk was directed at Kiara’s clenched jaw, his words referencing his first threat. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her lashes fluttering furiously at the act, before the palm of her hands shoved his bare chest and he fell back into the water. 

“Shut it, JJ.” 

tbc


	2. cooper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jj’s impulsive and always one for the moment, so why is kiara surprised when they end up in front of a beat up trailer at two am, still fresh on their high with his doped smile pleading for her trust? it’s the middle of the night; Pope’s levelheaded and sane, John B’s snoring through his drools, Kiara’s hesitate but always true to her word, and JJ’s grin seems trusting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s currently three am and i’m shit posting this.

“Where are we even going?” Pope’s gaze flew to his right for a fleeting second before connecting back to the road in front of him, the wheels slightly shifting off the dirt path at the act. 

“I told you to take a left after Barbie’s trailer,” JJ faced his friend, his knees pulled to the side as he sat awkwardly in the front seat of John B’s volkswagen. His bright blue eyes were animated, the smile on his lips never faltering, despite the late hour. The night had grown cold, the air no longer containing the warmth from the day's sun. It was quiet and it’s darkness all consuming, the lights of their van only exposing little of what lay before them. The stars were still heavy in the sky, the little dipper directly above them, as they drove through The Cut. 

“JJ, We don’t even know this guy,” Kiara threw herself forward to rest her arms on the middle console, “how do you expect me to trust someone, who I’ve never heard of-who none of us have ever heard of- to tattoo permanent ink into my skin?” Her words were harsh on her tongue, her eyes glaring daggers at his spreading grin. 

“Kie, Kie, Kie,” he mumbled her name softly against his lips, his damp hair shaking with his head. A chuckle shook through him and his shoulders bounced, his necklace swaying at the movement. The glare from his rings danced around the car as his hands flew vigorously in front of him. “I’ve known Cooper since I was-” his eyes blinked close for a moment while he thought, “five-no, probably four! I trust this guy with my life and you trust me with yours- ah ah ah” his forefinger shook in her face, “yeah you do- therefore you trust Cooper. It’s simple math, two plus two equals four, Kiara.” 

“JJ, that makes no sense,” Pope side eyed the boy. 

“It makes perfect sense!” JJ threw his arms through the air, his voice growing louder within the tight space. He had always been an expressive person. When he spoke, his body spoke with him. Movement from him was a constant. His fingers always itched to fidget, and up until his hands became bathed in silver, they would always settle for the bounce of Kiara’s soft brown curls. It was one of the many reasons he struggled as a kid, the pink pills the doctor prescribed him were worth more than his handful of change could ever afford. 

“No it doesn’t,” John B spoke. His voice was faint as his face laid pressed deep into a spare pillow, his body stretched long across the back seats. 

Kiara’s damp curls tickled her neck as she turned from John B to look to the boy beaming beside her. He was partly hidden from the passing trailer lights, half of him was buried in the shadows but his eyes shone like two big stars, the blue captured within them were glazed over but alert all the same. She began to lightly chew the inside of her cheek, her eyebrows forming a crease between them, as she thought. “Why are we even doing this right now, JJ? It’s the middle of the night!” 

“Because, Kie, we can!” Pope’s eyes rolled at JJ words. 

“John B is sleeping-” said boy’s head rose from the pillow, his features scrunched and his eyes squinted forward, “-and you two are way too high to be making rational decisions and nothing good ever happens after two am. I say we all just go back home and get a good night's rest and forget about this whole dare!” JJ’s lips frowned, his gaze solely focused on the frantic movements of Pope’s hand as he spoke. 

“Or,” the blonde’s eyebrows rose with his words, “we could just go inside cause we’re here.” His silver rings pointed ahead to a worn blue trailer that stood on its last leg. The screens enclosing the porch were torn as if by the blade of a pocket knife and bugs hugged the flickering lights. 

“You’re kidding, right?” Kiara tilted her head at him. Her hands were folded neatly over an abandoned  _ Sprite _ bottle and her knuckles colored white at her tight grasp. 

“Nope, lets go boobies!” JJ’s hair shook furiously with his head. “No time like the present!” He sang to night through the now open door. 

“JJ, I’m not going.” Kiara spoke to him through the closed window. She had relaxed into the backseat cushions, her arms crossed tight against her chest and her chin lifted high in the air. 

“Kie,” his posture slagged. His red rimmed eyes drooped with his shoulders and his mouth softly pulled into a lipped pout. “Please.” His hands intertwined in a pleading way. 

“No.” Her words were stern but her scowl began to frown at his somber features. “No, stop-stop it.” She tore her gaze from him to look to Pope’s tense features. He sat rigid in the front seat. His hands still positioned at ten and two with his right foot settled stubbornly over the gas pedal.

“JJ, get in the car,” Pope’s voice was strong as it echoed within the four walls of the van. His jaw was tight and ready to fight the words that laid on JJ’s tongue. “We’re going home.” JJ visibly deflated and for a flashing second he reminded Kiara of her pink floatie that tore a hole right before the opening of the community pool back in the summer of ‘12. It had been the hottest summer on record, the temperature had risen to triple digits and the air clung to your pores like a second skin. She had been running on the black asphalt, her bare feet burning at the touch, when she passed the metal fence and her toy had caught a stray wire. That was the year she obsessed over journaling, the pages of her adolescent dairy is still stained with her tears from that day. 

“Fuck you,” she cursed to the memory rather than to the blonde now sat aloof in the passenger seat. She crawled on her hands and knees, her fingers gripping the door handle before sliding it open. The rocks embedded in the dirt road crunched under the weight of her sandal, the sound almost lost to the night. “Well,” She turned to his window, her arms lifted at her side impatiently while he blinked back at her with his eyebrows pulled together. “Let’s go, get out of the car already!” With the spin of her heel, her pointer finger shot through the air and moved in a circular motion, a gesture that screamed  _ round ‘em up _ . 

“Kie, really?!” JJ slammed the door hard, the harsh noise breaking through the sounds of the night like a glass shattering at a funeral. Lights from neighboring trailers flickered on, complainers called out to the abyss, and windows are audibly closed shut. A grimace nearly overtook his features although Kiara could see the corner his lips still fought to turn up. 

Pope glared a hot stare into JJ’s turned back. His head poked out from the car, his hands still placed tight around the steering wheel. “Kiara, what are you doing? We’re going home-”

“Looks like Kie changed her mind,” John B’s voice was rough and heavy with sleep as he patted his friends shoulder before pulling the door open. His arms stretched long over his head, a yawn escaping him. “This better be over quick cause I wanna go home and sle-” another yawn, “-sleep.” His eyes blinked rapidly as a puddle of water gathered at their rim. 

Pope’s quiet mutterings were ignored, whether because they were overwhelmed by the slam of his door or because his friends just tuned his resistance out, he didn’t know. “How do you even know he’s awake? It’s the middle of the night! Why would he be working right now? It's not like people are even-” Pope’s words were yet again overshadowed but this time it was by an ear splitting whine of a trailer door. 

“Son of a bitch,” a disembodied voice traveled through the air. It was harsh and almost croaky, unfamiliar to Kiara’s ears. “Maybank, is that you?” A man emerged from the shadows. He stood at the opening of the blue trailer, his eyes wide and attentive on JJ. A lopsided smile broke through his stern features, so genuine and pure it made the tips of her own lips pull slightly upward. 

“Hey, Coop!” JJ rushed to the man, the slap of his torn converses against the dirt echoing down the road, before pulling him into a quick embrace. He mirrored Cooper with a dopey grin spread lazy on his lips. 

“How you been, kid?” Cooper ruffled JJ’s blonde locks, his fingers -along with the rest of his body, as far as Kiara could tell- were painted in more ink than his actual pigment. “I haven’t seen you in months. I was starting to think your ass forgot about the man who practically raised you.” 

“Nah,” JJ shrugged. His head turned to his friends before he spoke, “I’ve just been busy.” 

“Ahh,” the man hummed. His gaze traveling lazy over the three unfamiliar faces, lingering a second longer on the one framed by a mane of damp brown curls, “I see.” He chuckled deeply as the girl stood obvious to his words, but he could still see a patch of blush staining her dark skin. “Too busy to see your old Coop then, aye?” His bushy eyebrow raised high, his words directed back to JJ. The boy’s tongue stumbled, his hand lifting to the back of his neck to rub the muscles that lay there, as his stare focused hard on the knot of his shoelaces. “I’m just giving you a hard time, kid. No worries,” his arm straddled JJ’s shoulders before he looked back to the rest of the pogues, “Come in, come in!” 

Their weight creaked the rotting wood of the porch steps as they entered into Cooper’s home. The television still played and the distant sounds of its show sang softly around the slowly decaying walls of the small trailer. The remote was tossed across the deshleved couch cushions, a near empty  _ Squirt _ bottle laid with it. “Y’all want anything to drink? Some water or pop? I don’t got any beer, sorry ‘bout that I’m all sober and all but I might still have some of those stupid sugar filled juice boxes that JJ used to love in the back cooler.” Cooper’s features were illuminated by the refrigerator light as he held its door open. 

The boys replied a soft no, Pope thanking the man for his offer. Amusement swam in the chocolate of Kiara’s eyes, a shit-eatting grin plastered across her lips, “I kinda want what little JJ liked to drink, where’d you say those juice boxes were?” Her head tilted to the side, a bubble of giggles rippling through her. 

“Just this way-”

“No, she’s kidding.” JJ’s tone, with his jaw, was tight but his eyes held no true anger. “Uh-actually Coop, we’re here to get a tatt.” The tall man turned, his hand quickly shutting the refrigerator door as he did. His mouth pulled flat, his head began to shake and JJ must have seen something in his features that Kiara didn’t because he spoke again. “No, no, not for me,” the point of his finger flew to her, “for her.” 

By JJ’s words, Cooper’s face relaxed. “And this is?”

“Oh shit, right.” His blonde hair tossed lightly against his ear as JJ quickly looked to his friends. “Yeah, this is Pope, John B and Kiara,” his finger pointing to each as he spoke. 

“Ah shit! Yeah, I know these boys. Heyward and Big John’s sons but you,” his eyes were on her, “I don’t know you.” His gaze slightly squinted as if he were searching his memories for any reconciliation of her face. 

“I’m Kiara Carrera. My parents own The Werk over by-”

“She’s Kook,” JJ blurted bluntly. He felt the heat of her glare against him. It was so hot he almost feared his body would catch on fire. “Uh- fuck no not like that, Kie,” his eyes grew wide. His words were frantic along his tongue, “you know I didn’t mean it like that.” He only calmed when she did, but his eyes still darted to her every passing moment just in case. 

“Young lady,” Cooper’s chin nodded to Kiara, “if your parents found out about this would they shoot me in the head like old Maybank would?” 

“Who’s to say they’ll know it’s from you?” A drug induced grin broke through her features, plumping up her round cheeks with its force. 

“You’re a true Pogue at heart arent ya?” His laugh was deep and strong as it swayed his built shoulders. 

“I’d like to believe so,” she blinked away, her fingers fridgetting with the worn string of her bracelet. 

“Alright then I’ll go get the stuff. Y’all go make yourself at home, it'll only be a few.” With his words, Cooper disappeared into the shadows of his narrow hallway. 

JJ’s stare traveled from the clutter of fishing rods laid lazy against the back wall to the worn couch to his left. A smile Kiara couldn’t unravel pulled at his features. It was a puzzle she didn’t have the pieces for. It contained memories between the chapping lines of his lips. Memories that Kiara didn’t share. Significance Kiara didn’t know. She followed his gaze. It laid heavy on the green and yellow soda bottle. He reached for it, his fingers wrapping around the pitiful wrapper. The silver band that secured a hold around his pinkie absently covered the vibrant  _ Squirt _ label and she watched something flash across his features. But like a rocky ocean with no lighthouse, Kiara couldn’t tell what laid in it. 

It was a moment that passed in a blink of JJ’s long lashes, his hands gripping the back of the couch before he threw his body onto the peeling leather. He groaned softly at the contact, his ankles crossing over one arm of the couch as he pillowed his neck with the other. The bottle now tossed carelessly to the adjacent armchair, hitting a sleeping John B square in the face. 

“Fucker,” John B muttered. His voice was thick with slumber, his eyes never opening, as he shifted his neck. His brown hair fell across his face, pieces brushing the end of his nose, as he slipped back into his dream. 

Pope stood near the door. His back faced the others, the brim of his hat tipped down. What they couldn’t see was the dance of his fingertips along the collars of a stack of books. His mouth was slightly agape, a breath drawn and trapped within the walls of his lungs. Books that contained all his wonders, all the answers to his various curiosities, piled before him and collecting dust as the passing days start and end. His forefinger brushed the title, the air escaping his lungs at the touch. “Want those, kid?” Cooper's voice startled the boy from his trance so violently he stumbled a bit.

“W-w-I-” Pope’s tongue tripped in his mouth. His wide eyes blinked rapidly as they darted from the stack of books to the amusement flooding the man’s face. 

“Take ‘em. No use in having ‘em anyway, I practically memorized every one of those word for word.” Cooper shrugged as he placed his stuff across the small table that stood in front of the couch. 

“T-Thank you,” Pope stuttered. His hands flew to the books, grasping them tightly and pulling them into the crook of his arm. He gripped the door knob, twisting it to the right before bidding a rushed goodbye, “I’ll be in the car.” 

The door shut, its sound mending with thoses that came from the television. John B momentary stirred, his doze never broken. JJ’s head was thrown back over the curve of the couch before he sat upright, a sly smirk forming along his lips, “You basically just fed the guy porn.” Kiara’s face knotted in disgust. Her sandals shuffled across the carpet, the hem of her shorts brushing the leather as she leaned closer to the couch. Her arm swiftly reached out, the tips of her fingers whacking the back of his blonde locks. JJ jumped at the contact, his head spinning behind him but she had moved back to the arm of John’s chair. A scowl pulled at his lips, his own fingers going to comfort the spot on the back of his head. “Rude.” He muttered at her rolled eyes. 

“Maybank, get your ass up.” JJ’s blue gaze flew up to Cooper. The man stood tall as he scratched at his five o’clock shadow. He was settled directly underneath a dying ceiling light, the glow giving Kiara a better view of him. His features were littered in tiny scars almost mirroring those that laid on JJ’s skin. His eyes were dark, the chocolate in his irises fading to black as if it were too drained to contain its color. Developing creases scattered his face, most clinging to the edge of his lips and the corner of his eyes. The wrinkles that didn’t match his middle age as if most had formed from the glaring sun and the burdens that made his shoulders shag. “Up, up, up.” Cooper repeated, his hands now gesturing what he spoke. 

JJ groaned, but obeyed. The tips of Kiara’s lips pulled down, the crease between her eyebrows forming, at the act. JJ listening to an adult figure was just as astonishing as watching a pig fly but it was unsettling to her only because she was observing the scene through blurred vision. This part of JJ’s life was a part of him she hadn’t discovered. It was a puzzle piece hidden with the dust under the couch cushions. She hadn’t known it was there all these years and would only find it with his aid. 

“Kiara,” Her trance was broken by Cooper calling her name, “come sit here.” He gestured to dip in the couch from where JJ’s body laid moments before. He sat on the edge of the wooden table, his hands now busy with his supplies. He spoke only after he heard her sink into the leather, “there’s some binders filled with designs if you don't already know what you want.” He nodded his head to the stack of red binders placed on the opposite end of the table. 

“I will take those,” JJ held them tight to his chest with a grin dripping in mischief as it spread wide enough to flash his crooked teeth, “thank you very much.” He threw his body beside Kiara, his shoulder bumping into hers at the act. Her brown curls brushed his bare arm as she turned her head, her mouth pulled awkwardly as if she were chewing on the inside of her cheek. His fingers hectically opened the first binder, her eyes widening at the lunatic designs. There was one of the grim reaper dripped in gold, his skeleton arms wrapped around the shoulders of a demon and an angel. Although this devine pair was drawn as blonde women dressed in almost nothing, their bodies drastically disproportionate as their only fat lay in the bubble of their boobs and butt. She fought a scoff, settling for an eye roll so strong it sent a stab of pain through her head. 

“Like that, Kie?” JJ watched her through the corner of his eye. His tongue snuck a sweep along his lips as if to contain a fit of laughter. He was no longer looking but she was. Her gaze was solely focused on his now wet mouth and the voice in the back of her thoughts answered  _ yes  _ but she hadn’t been thinking of the design. “Don’t worry we can make the boobs even bigger! Put emphasis on those babies.” Kiara grimaced. Disgust and annoyance rippled through her, clouding her pior thoughts. Her lips frowned. The drugs were laced. They must have been. Some laced drugs make you think things, wrong things. Imaginary things. JJ said his dealer was always experimenting, right? 

“Shut up,” her stare squinted at him but there was no real heat to it. 

“How ‘bout this?” His forefinger pointed to another design. This one was of the devil’s face. His red horns were flared and curling slightly at the tip as flames danced around him. His eyes were as chaotic as his sinister smile. Kiara’s nose wrinkled at the image. “I know it doesn’t have boobs but we can add some.” She scoffed at his words. 

The drugs still ran freely through her steam. Her head was still heavy as it hung among the clouds. Her chest was light, every nerve in her body sensitive to touch. And her judgement was still altered but the reality of this situation was growing more real with each design. A knot formed in her. It pressed against her rising lungs and pounding heart. And as it grew, its pressure increased. 

“You ready?” Cooper asked, his voice almost overshadowed by the slap of his gloves on his skin. Kiara looked to JJ. The knot’s pressure now sharp like a knife. His features were unreadable to her as he absently skimmed through the binders. His fingers picked at the soft stubble on his chin as if deciding what to ink into her skin forever was as complicated as choosing which hamburger he should order at The Wreck. 

“Yeah she is.” Kiara held her breath and for a moment she considered backing out. Her mind fled back to the hammock, wishing she had taken the opportunity when it presented itself. Now she would live her days with a pair of breasts inked into her skin.  _ Great.  _ She closed her eyes. A beat of silence. Then the binders shut and he spoke once more, “she wants a dolphin.” 

“What?” Her eyes flew open, her chocolate frantically searching his blue before scanning the rest of his features. But she saw none of his tells. And over the years Kiara has noticed them, the quick jump of his right eyebrow or the subtle twitch of his lips that always rose his cupid’s bow just a little bit. She studied them even before his lies grew worse and more frequent. But at the moment, as he looked back at her, his eyebrows were relaxed and his lips stilled a soft smile. 

“A dolphin,” he repeated delicately, his gaze drifting from hers to play with his rings. 

“Why uh-... how did-” 

“Remember that night we left the boneyard early because you got so wasted you tried to strip and swim to the mainland.” Kiara nodded her head, her curls bouncing at the act and her features grimacing at the foggy memory. “Well I stopped at the gas station near that abandoned mailbox on the way to your house because you would not shut up about those greasy ass onion chips...” He paused, his eyes meeting hers again. 

“yeah…” 

“you told me that night that if you were ever going to get a tattoo you would get a dolphin like the one on the chips wrapper,” He smiled, his gaze dropping to her exposed legs, “you had been playing with your anklet and said you would only want it on the inside of your ankle.” She blinked, air rapidly fled her lungs and escaped her agape lips in a quiet sigh. The knot had been untied, freeing her chest, as his words had pulled the rope loose. The crease laid with her pulling eyebrows formed, her thoughts running wild. Her high was strong in that second. The laced drugs must have controlled her for her heart pounded vigorously and her stomach turned when she met his heated stare. 

“So a dolphin on your ankle?” Cooper’s voice startled Kiara, a hot red instantly coloring her cheeks. She nodded quickly, her gaze never fully meeting his. A telling smile pulled at his features as he held a laugh that fought to climb up his throat, instead releasing a series of coughs. 

“And that is what you get when you smoke too much,” JJ shrugged with a laugh that didn’t sound his own. “Thank you, Coop, for being the true example of what my-” he laid his hand against his chest, creasing the thin fabric of his shirt with his words, “-pink and healthy lungs will never look like.” 

“Bullshit, I smelt the weed on you before your ass even walked in,” Cooper squinted his stare, but his lips still spread a grin. “Okay, Kiara,” the man's voice softened, “I’m going to have you lay flat on the couch and have you- JJ, get up! Give the girl some room.” The blonde stood with a groan, his head hanging before he sat on the arm of John B’s chair. JJ’s chin was placed in the palm of his hand, his fingers absently rubbing the underline of his jaw. He watched lazily as Cooper readyed the gun, its chord grazing his inked arm as it stretched from the nearest outlet. 

Kiara’s curls hung over the edge of the couch, some brushing the toe of JJ’s torn converse, as her head was pillowed by its arm. Her hands were neatly folded over the damp fabric of her shirt, the wet stain of her bra still slowly drying. Her fingers rose and fell with her quickening breaths. Her eyes caught sight of the gun, its needle as sharp as those the doctors prodded her soft skin with. Her head grew dizzy, her stomach sick, as the white walls of their offices invaded her mind. The memories of pain that erupts through her from the small silver point beat her heart faster against her rib cage, the rhythm so strong her chest began to ache. Her breaths grew choppy, the change unnoticed with her silent exhales, as her lungs began to cave in. Her lashes fluttered closed, the sight of the gun too much for her, as her right arm fell limp over the edge of the cushions. 

“Alright, you ready?” Cooper’s voice, despite his close proximity, sounded faint as her anxious thoughts cluttered her mind. She felt the cold material of his gloves tap her ankle lightly, “not a big fan of needles, are ya?”

A flash of sharp silver endpoints, white walls and pain that spread in waves flooded her mind. Her features stained, her eyes shut so strongly she saw spots blotting her vision and her lips pursed tightly, as she shook her head. Her fallen hand squeezed a fist, the color of her knuckles shown white as her clenched fingers tightened. She heard a weight shift against the battered floor boards, the beaten wood crying at each step before she felt a touch brush the back of her clamped hand. She knew who it belonged to without even opening her eyes, the aged and faint callouses of his palm too familiar to her. “Kie.” JJ’s voice blanketed her as his hand unclenched hers. She rushed for his touch, her fingers frantically grasping his already open palm. The inside of her hand was soft and pillowed, the rough feel of his so oddly comforting to her. She held him almost painfully tight before his thumb began to rub gentle circles on her skin. The simple dance of his finger and the caress of him was enough to calm her. She felt it throughout every nerve in her body. Her heart rate slowed. Her lungs relaxed. Her thoughts quieted. The realization of his effect on her was completely terrifying in itself but her mind was too exhausted at that moment to fully comprehend it.  _ Remember the drugs are laced. It's tampered weed, nothing more.  _

“I’m ready,” she nodded with her words. Kiara felt Cooper’s fingers swift slightly on her ankle and almost instantly the drilling sounds of the tattoo gun crowded the room. Her eyes pinched closed again, her teeth grinding as her jaw tightened. “JJ,” her voice wavered in desperation, “I’m going to need you to distract me.” She opened her lashes only to meet his stare as she spoke. 

His blue orbs were wide as he looked down at her. His dark eyebrows pulled close and his jawline pronounced as he clenched his jaw, the sight seemingly almost painful for him. Pieces of his blonde hair fell at his sharp nod. “Yeah-yeah, anything.” He forced a laugh, a strained grin pulling at his lips. “Uh-” his gaze left hers before it traveled to her ankle. She watched as his features lightly winced, “I-uh…” 

“JJ.” Her tongue was harsh, calling his attention back to her. She moved her head an inch, cocking it to the side, and rubbing her curls into the peeling leather as she did. Her chocolate valley awaited his blue ocean, the desert ground flooding when it did. “I need to you to say some-fuck-” the pain was bitter and shot up her leg, “something.” She winced, the right side of her lip lifting higher than the left. 

“Fuck, I-fuck.” He sat down on the table, their handhold never breaking. “Like what?” His free fingers raked through his blonde locks, his eyebrows raising. 

“Anything,” she whined. 

“Ok-uh, f-shit uh-hey!” His posture perked as a genuine smile spread to plump his cheeks. “How about the fact that your tattoo doesn’t have boobs! That’s good, right?” 

“JJ, why the fuck would you make me think of my tattoo when I’m trying not to think about it?” She glared, her voice raised a notch. 

“Well, Kie, I-”

“Did you draw that, Kiara?” Cooper’s question made her look at him. Her gaze was strong on his features as he continued her tattoo, his stare never lifting to meet hers. 

“Draw what?” 

“Those doodles on JJ’s arm.” Cooper’s words made her chocolate iries fly to her right. As smudged as the purple ink had become, her flowers could still be seen marked on the pale skin of his inner forearm as he scratched the back of his neck. The corner of her lips twitched at the memories of that night and soon her mind was flooded with new images that overpowered those that were haunting her: smoke rapidly escaping his crooked smile, constellations that shone brightly through the towering trees, a splash of frigid water glimmering under the dock lights. 

“Yeah… I did,” her smile was as soft as the memories. 

“It’s really good, almost professional. Are you an artist?”

Her giggles were like bubbles that rose to the surface. They visibly moved through her, her hands rising with her swelling chest. Her eyes twinkled with the flickering television, her lashes gently fluttering as her cheeks colored a pretty pink. “I used to be when I was younger.” 

“Yeah, I remember that. We used to call her Picasso cause every day during recess she would draw us each a new picture.” JJ’s laugh harmonized with hers, the sound creating a beautiful melody that sang against the drill of the tattoo gun. 

“That explains why the only thing in your backpack was a stack of colored papers. I was wondering where those came from, they were too good to be yours.” Cooper chuckled at JJ’s quick denial. His stare was as hot as his features and solely focused on a clutter of stains in the carpet, the toe of his converse painting soft patterns on the thick fabric. “You know JJ had a nickname, too.” 

“Really?” her head lifted to turn to the bashful blonde. Her cheeks, plumped and colored a steady blush, began to hurt from the strength of her smile. 

“No,” JJ groaned, his head shaking quickly. His burning gaze raised to Cooper’s sly smirk as the stains on carpet laid forgotten under the weight of his torn shoe. 

“Oh come on it’s not even that bad.” The man’s eyebrows raised, his dark eyes shone a glint as if a small blonde boy was dancing through his memories. JJ’s tongue was ready to protest, his body tense and his vocal cords itching to vibrate but Cooper beat him to it, “I first met the kid when he was probably er-four?” Despite himself, JJ nodded as his stare focused on the photos framed on the chipping blue paint of the surrounding walls. They were all crooked somehow and each featured a young boy with tattered clothes and bright blue eyes. 

“It was back when I was still working at the salvage yard. One day when I was rifling through a new batch of shit and I went to take a sip of my pop and it wasn’t there.” He laughed, it was deep and boomed around the four walls of the small room. “I couldn’t find it anywhere, I thought I was going crazy. I searched the whole damn place but it turns out that I hadn’t lost it. Nah, some little blonde rascal had stolen it.” Cooper paused his movements for a moment, his gaze rising to Kiara’s but she never met it for her eyes were on JJ. There were crinkles on her skin, they surrounded the curve of her beaming smile and laid underneath her long lashes. Her features were radiant, sparkling like the sun rays on freshly powdered snow. 

“He didn’t speak a word but I could tell he was scared that I caught him cause he bolted and left the empty pop can.” He resumed his work on her ankle as he spoke over the sound of the gun, “I saw him again the next day. He had been hiding behind a huge bin of scraps and his chubby fingers were reaching for my pop again!” JJ hung his head, his cheeks flushed a dark red at the sound of her giggle. “Long story short, he became my little bud and we would share a pop at work every day. But I swear I thought the boy was mute for a while cause he never spoke. He’d just stare up at me with eyes too big for his face and sip his pop and then take mine when his would be empty, so I called him Squirt like the-”

“-soda.” Kiara finished. “That’s why you always get that shit.” Her finger tapped his palm, their hands still intertwined, and he raised his head. His blonde locks fell at the moment, pieces sweeping the crook of his right eyebrow. He met her stare for only a second, his eyes darting from hers before rolling back into his head, his cheeks somehow blushing harder. He groaned, laughing weakly as he ducked himself into the crook of his free arm. 

Cooper chuckled at that, “some things never change.” 

_ tbc _

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe you just read my work. 
> 
> I love you. I'll post chapter two saturday (?). I'm sorry for how short this is, remember it's the prologue ;)
> 
> Thank you!!! Your kudos and comments always keep me going :)
> 
> xoxo,  
> char


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